David Merrifield
Real Name: David Allen Merrifield (sometimes mispelled Marifield) Nicknames: No known nicknames Location: Dallas, Texas Date: February 9, 1995 Case Details: '''On Thursday February 9, 1995, at 7am, attorney Clint Blackman arrived at his Dallas office building and took the stairs to the third floor. Employee Juanita Lackey forgot her keys to the office and was let in by secretary Roxanne Leeterman at 7:30am. They went to the elevator and when it opened, they discovered the body of forty-two-year-old attorney David Merrifield lying on the floor. They went to Clint who went to the elevator, saw David's body, and called the police. He had been shot in he back of the head, execution style. He left behind a new wife of only three months and two children. At first, it was believed that a robbery was the motive, until David's missing wallet was discovered a few miles away with everything still inside. Police next looked into the last few hours of his life and they discovered that he had been murdered the same day he was supposed to meet with a mysterious client named Sam Jones. On the day before his death, he received several calls from Sam. Some of them taken by his secretary, who asked him what he was for, but he would not say. He spoke to Sam for about 10 minutes, and when he was done talking his secretary asked him and he said that Sam wanted to do something for him. David's desk calendar confirmed that he was planning to meet Sam at 6:30am on the morning of his murder. Authorities discovered that he was going to meet Sam earlier in the morning than he ever would have arrived at work, which was strange for his coworkers. They believe Sam did this so he could get David alone and kill him. Police believe that he might have been lured by Sam to the elevator, and then killed for unknown reasons. Sam has never been identified. Nobody heard from him afterwards and it is believed that if he was not responsible, he would have resurfaced and said that he was unable to meet with David. The murder remains unsolved. A $10,000 reward is being offered in the case. '''Suspects: Sam is the prime suspect, but police believe that this is an alias. On the morning of David's murder, an eyewitness saw a half ton pickup truck parked in front of his office building. It was a black Ford, about eight to ten years old. The driver was a heavyset white male who was in his early 50s and was apparently waiting for David. He and Sam have never been identified, but authorities believe they are the same person. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the December 1, 1995 episode. Results: Solved. In 2007, the prime suspect in David's murder committed suicide after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Police did not publicly identify him, but have since closed the case, believing that the suspect was responsible. David's niece confirmed that the unidentified suspect was the killer. His reasons for killing David are unknown. Links: * David Merrifield on Unsolved.com * Sitcoms Online Discussion on David Merrifield * David Merrifield on Find a Grave ---- Category:Texas Category:1995 Category:Murder Category:Solved